Realistic Fiction
301 pages
On a school trip to Washington D.C., Tally is forced to room with one of her least favorite 7th graders. Of course, Tally isn’t the most popular kid in school either. She beats to the tune of her own drum and likes things the way she likes them, so she’d rather be with the friends who know her for who she is and like her anyway. Or do they?
The trip turns out ot be an eye-opening experience. When Tally learns a dangerous secret about her roommate’s eating disorder, she has serious doubts about what to do about it. Can the friendships she thought she had withstand the changes that lie ahead? It’s not just what we know about others’ lives but what we need to know about ourselves that makes this story interesting.
I would recommend this book to patient middle school readers who like a story about character growth and development, especially related to body image and self esteem.
Bell Kirby has been targeted by the principal’s son ever since he spilled soup on him in 3rd grade. But he has engineered elaborate plans to avoid every possible interaction with the bully at school. Luckily he also has Creator Club where he can plan, build and engineer projects to keep his focus and mind humming. The conflict comes to a head when Bell reaches his tipping point and is gearing up for payback. There are enough layers in the storyline and in the characters to keep you engaged and thinking throughout. There is a puzzle from his dad, a new girl who needs protecting (or maybe not), a junkyard tank to build, and a million little mistakes that Bell has made that he will need to fix if he ever wants to move forward. The bully is realistic, not just in the depth of how his actions hurt others, but also how different kids and their families deal with the situation.
Here’s another book I am going to give the highest rating. This book has it all — characters so realistic you want them for your friends (or you know you’d avoid as bad news), secrets that are itching to get out, and a truth about life and relationships that runs really deep.
This book is a classic mystery with a YA twist. The crime, the death of a student, occurs within the first 25 pages. and all the suspects have a motive and secrets to hide. It’s the scene of the crime, a high school detention room, that makes the mystery so original and intriguing. As in most mysteries, the possibilities for a motive are classic: jealousy, love, and revenge. But the story had me gripped because each character tells his or her perspective and I really didn’t want any of them to be guilty. The author threw in a few good distractions with high school drama and the media, so it was easy to lose sight of the clues. However, by reading closely, everything necessary for solving the mystery is there. I challenge you to solve the crime before the truth is revealed!